Uncoupling device



April 21, 1925.

O. HOCHBERG ET AL UNCOUPLING DEVICE Filed March 8, 1921 to which it appertains to make and to Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrics.

oscan HocHBnRe, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JOHN w. srEINMnYEn, or EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 AMERICAN CAB- AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, or sr.

LOUIS, MISSQURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW J UNCOUIPLING DEVICE,

To all who m. it may concern,-

Be it known that Oscar: Hooirnnno and J 0111* lV. S'rmNMnrnn, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, and in East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of s ew verse". res )ectivelv and being citizens oftho UnitedVSt-ates, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'an Uncoupling Device, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of our invention as applied to an end sill of a railway car,

portions of the sill being removed to better illustrate themanner of mounting the device;

Figure 2 132111 elevational view of a car end equipped with our device;

Figure 3 is an end view of the device taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow; and

Figure a vertical sectional view taken on line le -1 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

The invention relates to that class of run coupling mechanisms for flat and other low platform cars in which the coupler pin-is directly engaged by a lever member of the mechanism without the use of chains or 7 other connecting devices.

rangement in which all of the parts are posi= tioned below the floor line of the car.

In said drawings, 10 represents one form of car end shown as comprising a member 11 of channel form cut out at 12 to receive shank 13 of a coupler H and carrying the usual push pole pockets 15, grab iron 16, brake mast 17, and pressure retaining valve 18. Below the upper flange 19 of the channel end 11, and on opposite sides of the coupler 14, is secured the uncoupling mechanism comprising operating lever 20 and pin lever 21 hereinafter to be described.

The mechanism is mounted in brackets 22 and 23 carrying the operating lever 20, and in bracket 24 supporting the pin lever 21, all of said brackets being secured preferably to the web 25 of the channel member 11. The operating lever 20 is provided at one end with a depending handle 26 and'at its opposite or inner end with an outstanding crank arm 27. Traversing crank arm 27 is the pin lever 21 fulcrumed at one end on bracket 2- and extending with its opposite or inner end through the eye of the coupler pin 28. 1 s

It will be noted that the pin lever 21 is fulcrumed on the bracket 24- located on the side of the car end remote from the group of appliances above identified and on the opposite side of the coupler. This disposition of the pin lever is made to avoid restriction in the selection of fulcrum point location, a. condition unavoidable in cases where the pin lever 21 is fulcrumed l'ietweeu brackets 22 and 23. It is conceivable that with the grouping of pin lever 21 on the same side of the car end with the operating lever 20, bracket 22, grab iron 16, brake mast 17, and pressure retaining valve 18, there would remain but little choice in the matter of space for the fulcrum bracket 2d carrying pin lever 21. In such environment the proportion and desirable operating relation of the levers 20 and 21 are not always attainable because of the relatively fixed positions of the safety appliances established in accordance with the Interstate Commerce Commission rulings and American Railway Association recommendations aforesaid.

By positioning the pin lever fulcrum away from the operating lever crank arm 2? on the opposite side of the coupler, the length of the pin lever between crank arm 27 and fulcrum 24 can be regulated to meet particular requirements free from. the hampering restrictions attending the fulcruming of the pin lever on the adjacent side of the coupler or crank arm. 7

The operating lever is shown extending past the coupler 14 with its crank arm 27 extending outwardly under pin lever 21 and sufiiciently to intersect the pin lever during pulling operations when the coupler and pin lever assume the positions indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1; The pin lever 21 has loose connection with the coupler pin 28 to permit lateral and longitudinal movements of the coupler, but is itself rest-rained fron'r endwise movement by virtue of its engagement with bracket 24. Bracket 24 is provided with an eye portion 29v adapted to receive the hook-shaped end 30 onfthe pin lever with which it is assembled lret'ore said bracket is secured to the car.

In its-normal position of rest, the crank arm 27 is out of contact with the pin lever 21 as indicated, in Figs. 2, 3 and at, allowing the pin lever to respond to relative movements of the car and coupler without disturbing the operating lever .20. Upon rotation of operating. lever 20 to lift coupler pin to the unlocked position indicated inbroken lines in Figs. 2 and 3, the crank arm 27 will engage pin lever 21, as indicated in broken lines in 4:, and carry same upwardly until the pin reaches its unlocked position, after which the operating lever handle 26 may be released and permitted to drop to the normal position of rest as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, allowing the pin lever to be supported in its elevated position by the raised coupler pin 28 until dropped by the coupling impact of the cars From the foregoing it will be noted that lifting lever fulcrumed on the opposite side of said coupler and adapted for engagement with the operating member, said operating and pin lifting members extending with their adjacent ends past each other above said coupler and below the floor line of the car.

2. In an uncoupling mechanism for cars having a coupler and a relatively low flooig a pin lifting lever fulcrumed to the car below the floor line at one side of the coupler and restrained from endwise movement, an operating lever mounted on the opposite side of the coupler below the floor line and extending With its crank arm for engagement with the pin lifting lever, saidpin. lifting lever being adapted to engage said crank arm at a point mediate its fulcrum point and the coupler and extending with its free end through the coupler pin.

In witnesses whereof we have hereunto set our handsin the presence of two witnessesf OSCAR HOCHBERG. JOHN lV. STEINMEYER.

lVitnesses: V

JOSEPHINE MrroHnLL, Hoiunn CARROLL. 

